


Home Is Where The Mountie Is

by shinythings



Category: due South
Genre: Canadian Shack, Fraser doesn't actually need rescuing, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Canon, There's cuddling, and emotions, dief is best, i feel bad for Fraser's cabins, ray to the rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 21:34:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12992967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinythings/pseuds/shinythings
Summary: Fraser stays in Canada after the expedition, but Ray goes back to Chicago. While in Chicago, Kowalski learns that Warfield escaped prison and is rumoured to be after the people who put him away- Fraser is at the top of the list. Ray goes back to Canada to help.





	Home Is Where The Mountie Is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dogsled](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dogsled/gifts).



> For Dogsled! Happy Holidays :)

“Kowalski! Get in here!”

Ray looked up from the pictures of this week’s scumbag to see Welsh glaring at him through his open office door. 

“While the day’s still young, Kowalski. What, you need a written invitation?”

Scraping his chair back, Ray sighed as he made his made his way into Welsh’s office. No matter how good a cop he was, being called into Welsh’s office always made him feel like a kid being taken to see the principal. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. Keep your hair on.” This used to be easier with Fraser. The Mountie always managed to head off the worst of Welsh’s moods. Reciting RCMP regulation usually made Welsh shoo them out of his office. That wasn’t going to happen again, what with Fraser deciding to stay in Canada. 

After Muldoon, they’d spent weeks out on the ice looking for Franklin’s hand. Ray wasn’t surprised Fraser had decided to stay up north; he never lost that goofy smile, even when it was freezing, and Ray was sure they’d up being popsicles in their tent before they woke. When they had both finally run out of leave, Fraser settled in Tuktoyaktuk and Ray booked his flight back to the US. He didn’t like thinking about Fraser up there in the north all by himself, without a real partner, but there had been nothing for Ray to do. No job he could see himself in. He couldn’t liaise like Fraser did in Chicago. Tuk wasn’t big enough to need more than the Mounties already stationed there. But Ray was tired; there were only so many times you could bust the same guy before realizing his lawyer’d get him out and you’d have to bust him all over again. There were days when Ray would get home, sit on his couch alone and wonder whether he could stomach another day on the job.

He slumped down into the seat in front of Welsh’s desk. “So, who’s dead?”

“No one yet. When’s the last time you heard from Fraser?” 

“Ah….yesterday? Yeah, yesterday. Apparently Dief went off after hunters who thought shooting wolves for pelts was a great idea. He took it real personal. Fraser’s tracking Dief, and Dief’s tracking the wolf-killers. Fraser thinks-”

“Kowalski…Kowal….Kowlaski! Nice as it is to hear that the Constable is doing his best to protect the local wildlife, that’s not why I asked. We’ve had news. I foolishly hoped that Fraser would be somewhere we could actually find him.” Welsh pulled out a bottle and glasses from his drawer and poured. “Shut the door.”

Ray eyed Welsh nervously. The booze never came out when things were going well. It generally showed up when things were fucked and getting worse. “No really…who died?”

“Wilson Warfield escaped.” 

Ray downed his glass, wincing as his throat burned. “Well fuck.”

\--

Getting to Tuktoyaktuk was a pain. It was one of the reasons Ray hadn’t really considered staying. Getting into Canada was fine. Yellowknife was doable. But anywhere that needed you to get into a small dinky charter plane that rattled your bones was too far away from important things- like Chinese food, pizza, and planes that didn’t look like they were going to fall out of the sky. 

Not that Ray hadn’t fallen out the sky himself, what with Fraser and his Jedi mind-tricks. He snorted. Turtles. Well, Tuk had good things too…it had Constable Benton Fraser happy in the snow. His leg twitched as he felt the plane descend, the coffee in his stomach rising and tasting like acid in the back of his throat. Jesus, Warfield. Of all the scum they’d tangoed with, of course the mob boss with the very personal vendetta against Fraser was the one who’d escaped. Fraser’s luck was worse than Ray’s. 

Warfield hadn’t done well in prison. Being taken in by a Mountie for slapping a bus-boy had trashed any reputation he had. Fraser had really done a number on the guy. Before Fraser, no one had been willing to touch Warfield. Nothing had ever stuck. Warfield had been the kind of slimy bastard most cops in Chicago learned to live with- he was too big; his reach too far. But all it took was one stubborn idiot who wouldn’t, couldn’t, look away. After Fraser, Warfield’s well of endless good luck and favors seemed to run dry. Ray shook himself out, ignoring the look from the woman in the next seat. Sure, they’d backed Fraser in the end and busted Warfield in his club, but Ray had left Fraser alone before that. Well not this time.

Rumour was that Warfield was gunning for the people who had been at that raid. Welsh already had his own people under guard. They’d called the RCMP, but they were about as helpful as Ray had expected them to be. ‘Oh no, so sorry. Constable Fraser couldn’t be reached…out of range…due back in a few days….No….not sure exactly when. They’d certainly be on the lookout for Warfield or any suspicious activity.’ Fraser’s exile might be over, but they sure seemed willing to leave him to his own devices in the middle of nowhere. Didn’t seemed too fussed to have one of their own targeted either. When they were chasing Muldoon, Ray’d realised that Fraser wasn’t just a freak in Chicago; Canadians thought he was weird too. Apparently the licking things, justice at all costs, talking to wolves shtick was a Fraser-only special. The RCMP might not make Fraser a priority, but Ray would. This time, Fraser wouldn’t have to face that prick alone. Ray would have his partner’s back. 

Fraser’s cabin wasn’t even locked. Ray pushed the door shut against the cold and shivered. Fraser hadn’t added much to his home since Ray’d left. There was the couch, lonely with no cushions or blanket. No luxuries here, not with Frase living here by himself. Except when Ray moved through the cabin into the single bedroom, there were photos. There was the one of the Fraser family, covered in furs before everything went to shit. There was one of Vecchio and Fraser, heads pressed together and smiling like goofs. There was also one of Fraser with everyone at the 2-7 all decked in Christmas red and green. Frannie and Elaine were there with their arms around each other, looking completely hammered. And there, turned towards the pillow was a photo of Fraser, Ray and Dief. Dief was on his hind legs, paws pressed against Ray’s chest, and Ray in turn was pressed against Fraser. Ray laughed. They’d been huddled under so many layers that they looked like marshmallow men. Fraser’s hands on Ray’s hips looked cartoonish. 

He dropped his bags by the bed. He’d spoken to Vecchio before he left. At least Stella was being protected, even if she was in a bowling alley in Florida. Ray may never be best buddies with Vecchio, but he did trust him with everything he loved. Vecchio must have felt the same way, because he’d told Ray to go, told him find Fraser- keep him safe and keep him happy. 

Ray walked out of the bedroom and considered what to do now he was here. He was no good at tracking, so he didn’t have a chance in hell of finding Fraser. The best he could do was make the cabin defensible. Like Vecchio before him, Ray came prepared. Fraser may like talking people down, but that didn’t work so well the first-time round with Warfield. Ray doubted it would work this time either. 

\--

“Dief. Dief. Dief! Honestly, Diefenbaker- it probably isn’t Ray; you’re being ridiculous.”

Fraser shook his head at the half-wolf. They’d found the hunters and dropped them off at the station. Constable Richardson had mumbled something about a Chicago convict escaping and an American detective in Tuk. There was no reason to assume that the American was Ray. Chicago was a large city- there were hundreds of police and even more criminals- the odds were far too low. There was absolutely no reason to be prancing about like an excited pup. 

Fraser remembered the week they spent at the cabin after the quest. Ray had lounged around the small space, looking endearingly soft in Fraser’s clothes. Fraser admitted, if only to himself and Diefenbaker, that the view has been…distracting. Hours spent alone out on the ice turned into hours spent in front of the log fire. Ray, who had always been in motion in Chicago- his jitteriness made worse by caffeine consumption- seemed centred in Fraser’s home. He’d spent hours on the floor on the rug staring into the flames and playing with Dief. He’d also spent hours on the couch, nudging Fraser’s thigh with socked toes until Fraser gave in and pulled those feet onto his lap to rub at the arches. Fraser often had flashes of Ray’s face at inopportune moments- his small contented smile, the way he’d arched his neck when Fraser pressed down on his soles and sighed. 

Despite their closeness, and the way that Ray seemed to relax in Canada, Fraser had known then that his partner would leave. Ray had his big adventure, but he had a life in Chicago- a job, a home, friends. The only thing he had in Canada was Fraser. And Dief, of course. They’d kept in touch over the phone, and Fraser contented himself with the contact. It might not be what he really wanted, but it was more than he expected. Fraser spent his days out on patrol- there wasn’t time for wishful thinking. And he most certainly did not spend his days pining, no matter what Diefenbaker insisted. 

-

Spending the night at Fraser’s cabin alone was weird. Really weird. Ray’s memory of the silence in the Territories didn’t do the place justice. He’d spent his time productively; strategically concealing guns behind the couch, in the kitchen, by the bed. Fraser wouldn’t like it, but at least he was legally allowed to use a gun in the North. Now all he had to do was wait for the Mountie and the wolf to come home. Maybe he’d spend a few hours thinking about the interesting things he’d found in Fraser’s bedside table.

Falling asleep in Tuk was tricky. What with it being December, the sun didn’t show its face at all. The perpetual darkness made it hard to tell what time it was; his body didn’t know when to sleep and when to be awake. All that said, the couch smelled like Fraser. Well, it smelled like Fraser and wet dog, but given that Fraser usually smelled like wet dog because of Dief, that was fine. The smell made Ray smile and he drifted, dreaming of snow and tents and tea. And of dogs barking.

Wait, he really could hear barking. Groggy, Ray raised his head and blinked at the door. Well shit, some guard he was. He grabbed the gun by the couch and snuck up to the window. He could see Dief, and there was Fraser in the Stetson. Dief fairly bounced through the snow, sniffing and then whining, barking back at Fraser and then scratching the front door. Ray unlatched the front door before Fraser could get his hand on the doorknob and pulled the Mountie in by his jacket. He made sure Dief was in before slamming the door shut and locking it.

Fraser stared at the figure in shock. Perhaps he was hallucinating; he was clearly more exhausted than he thought he was. “Who…Ray?! What are doing?”

Ray had his glasses perched on his nose and was peering through the window, looking suspiciously at the sparse trees in the distance for movement. “Dief, down boy! No, damnit Dief! I ain’t got donuts in that pocket…Damnit, Fraser tell your wolf to his nose out of my crotch!”

Fraser continued to stare at Ray blankly. “I...you’re…here. Ray, when did you get here? Why didn’t you call?” The rush of questions seemed to wake Fraser and he shook himself off like a dog coming in from the rain. 

Ray flashed a cheeky smile at his partner. “Got in last night. You were out…ugh, damnit wolf- fine. I give up!” With that, Ray dropped onto the ground and Diefenbaker, never one to miss an opportunity, proceeded to stick his cold nose in Ray’s cheek and slobber all over his face. “Yeesh. Whatever you've been eating Deif, buddy, it smells disgusting.” Ray patiently waited for Dief to lick his fill, ruffling the fur on Dief’s nape and smoothing his ears till he finally looked up at Fraser properly. “Gimme a hand up, Frase- my ass feels numb.”

Swallowing, Fraser stripped off his gloves, and then held out his hand. Ray’s fingers were warm against his palm and gripped his wrist tight as he pulled himself up. For all that he spoke to Ray regularly, he wasn’t quite prepared for the sheer physicality of him. Ray’s eyes seemed unnaturally bright behind his glasses, his hair seemed newly shorn and Fraser fought the urge to run his hand over the shortest strands above his partner’s neck. He must have been wearing a hat earlier, because his usual spikes looked flattened, like they needed someone’s fingers to tease them back to life. “Ray, you still haven’t told me why you’re here. Not that I’m not happy to see you! It’s just…well this is all rather unexpected.”

Ray grimaced, “Warfield escaped. Welsh wants everyone safe, and you know as well as I do that you pissed of Warfield the most. He probably doesn’t even remember the rest of us, but you…you he will remember. Kinda hard to forget the Mountie who ruined it all.”

Fraser's tongue came out to worry his lip. Warfield. His body ached in memory; phantom blows made him wince. “You really think he’d bother to come all the way up to Tuktoyaktuk? Surely an escaped criminal of his stature would have better things to do, an empire to rebuild.”

Ray could feel his exasperation rising. His head was cocked, and his hair was practically bristling. “Frase. I love you buddy, but you don’t know shit about how petty people can be. Especially when they’re pissed off. No arguing about this, Ok. I’m staying, just in case he shows. I brought ammo and guns, and yeah I know you’d rather not use ‘em, but we’re not facing a mob boss without them.”

Clearing his throat, Fraser dropped his hat onto the couch. “No Ray. I’m happy…happy to have you here for as long as you want. It would be…buddies, would it not?”

His partner looked like he hadn’t expected easy capitulation. He let out a big breath and the tension seemed to drain out of him. “Yeah Frase…buddies. It’s buddies.” 

The Mountie crouched in front of the slightly pathetic fire that Ray had started hours ago. He breathed on the dying embers, making them glow in the dim light of the one light bulb in the living room. 

Ray handed him a log, looking sheepishly at the fire and scratching at his neck. “I guess I’m ah…a bit rusty at this stuff now. You’ll have to train me up again.”

Fraser noticed the gun tucked into the back of Ray’s trousers. “How many did you bring? Ray Vecchio came to my father’s cabin with a veritable arsenal.”

“Yeah, I know. He kept insisting I’d need more than what I brought with me. Said you usually attracted more trouble than expected…like I don’t know that myself. He told me to bring hand grenades…can you believe that guy?”

Fraser unconsciously rubbed his eyebrow, “Well to be fair Ray, Ray did bring grenades with him. He used them too.”

Kowalski laughed. “We’ll make do yeah? I’m a better shot.”

They ate. Well, Dief ate and they picked at the stew Fraser managed to whip up. Ray stood awkwardly at the end of the bed with his head ducked and glanced at Fraser from beneath his lashes. “Only one pillow, Benton buddy. Think you’re up to sharing again?”

Dief snorted from the edge of the bed, cocked his head, growled at Fraser and sauntered off into the living room to jump onto the couch. He shook himself, turned his back on them and curled up. Ray looked up Fraser, eyebrow raised. Fraser was blushing; he wasn’t as red as the old uniform, but the color still suited him. Ray decided to push. “What was all that about then?”

Fraser could feel himself blush- felt the heat in his cheeks. “I’m afraid that Diefenbaker has been rather opinionated about things since you left. He seems to think that I’ve been lonely or some such nonsense.”

Ray shuffled impossibly closer, looking at his friend out of the corner of his eyes. “And have you been Frase?”

“I…well I’ve certainly missed our partnership Ray.”

Fraser looked so obviously uncomfortable that Ray decided to leave well alone. He shucked off his clothes, revealing the long-johns he had on underneath. Ray’d learned from experience that they might look stupid, but they were necessary in the cold. Fraser stripped too, and there was a brief pause where they both looked at each other and then back at the bed before stepping forward. Sharing a tent for weeks in the tundra meant they were used to close quarters; Ray knew that Fraser usually slept like a corpse, but that once Ray slithered closer, Fraser inevitably curled up around him- if only to stop Ray from shivering. He had loved the zipped together sleeping bags, but once they reached Fraser’s new cabin after the quest, Fraser had seemed unsure about touching Ray. Ray had slept on the couch the last time, but they were both in bed now- shoulders and thighs touching. As Ray drifted off, he rolled onto his side and trapped Fraser’s feet between his. Warfield sucked, but he could get used to this. 

-

Fraser woke to Dief’s barking. They had turned towards each other as they slept, and Ray had an arm thrown over Fraser’s chest, fingers caught in the buttons of his long-johns. He pulled his own arm out from under Ray, and looked down to see Dief whining and tugging at the blanket. 

“Ray. Ray, wake up. Dief saw something. I think someone’s outside.”

Kowalski rubbed at his eyes then lunged over Fraser to grab the gun and glasses he’d placed in the bedside table. “I’m awake. Dief, buddy, I’m buying you a whole box of donuts when this is over. I bet you Warfield thought he could kill us quietly and then sneak away all incon- incon..”

Despite the situation, Fraser found himself smiling. “Inconspicuous, Ray?”

“Yeah, that. Bet he thought he could be all stealth-like, but he forgot about Dief.”

The wolf’s growling got louder, his lips pulled back over fangs, just as the window in the living room shattered inwards and bodies rolled in. Fraser and Ray took up positions by the bedroom door while Dief jumped into the relative darkness of the living room with a snarl. Someone screamed, and Ray smiled darkly. Good wolf- maybe he’d buy two boxes of donuts. 

Fraser eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness. One of the men was clutching at his thigh while the other two swung guns around wildly. 

There was Warfield, looking somehow smaller than he used to be, despite being bundled in layers of clothing.“Find him. I want the Mountie. I want to put a bullet between his eyes myself.”

Ray grimaced and steeled himself. No way. There was no way Warfield was getting anywhere near Fraser this time. “Give it up Warfield! You know there’s no way this ends well for you!”

They were answered with a flurry of bullets and curses. Fraser crept into the other room with Ray at his back and crouched behind his kitchen bench. Ray nodded at a drawer and popped up to fire a shot into the darkness while Fraser pulled out the firearm his partner has stashed next to his spatula.

“Mr. Warfield. Don’t make this worse than it already is. Every second you insist on continuing this farce adds to your sentence. You know this.” Fraser winced at the stream of abuse the men let out. Their shots rang above his head. He’d have to spend weeks digging bullets out of the walls. He’d so hoped to have at least one home that didn’t bear the scars of criminal vengeance. 

“Right. Enough.” Ray pushed his glasses up his nose, and squinted over the kitchen counter. “On three, Frase. One…Two…Three!”

They aimed and each shot once. Both of Warfield’s men were on the ground and the man himself charged at the front door. The door gave way with a crash and Warfield found himself on the ground with a snarling wolf in front of him. Diefenbaker, correctly assuming someone would try to escape, had jumped out the broken window and waited. Fraser roughly pulled Warfield’s arms behind his back and held him down while Ray trained his gun at the two men groaning on the floor inside the cabin. “Diefenbaker, if you wouldn’t mind fetching Ray’s cellular phone- I believe it’s time to call Constable Richardson.”

\--

Ray almost felt bad for Richardson. The man had shown up unprepared for an ex-Chicago mob boss and his goons. His wide-eyed reverence of Fraser reminded Ray of Turnbull. Ray lay in front of the fire and while Fraser sat on the couch and watched his friend. 

“Hey Fraser, you mind if I stay for a while? Help you make this place ship shape again?” Ray spoke to the fire, as though it was easier to face than his partner. 

Fraser considered his words carefully. The last time they'd had this conversation, he'd told Ray to go. “I’d be honored to have you in my home, Ray. You know that. But what about work? Surely Lieutenant Welsh would want you back now.” 

Ray rolled his back and stared up at him. “Yeah, about that. I just…look I know I went back after the quest. But working without you isn’t great. I don’t…mum and dad are back in Arizona, Stell’s in Florida with Vecchio and its just me alone and you know I don’t do well alone. Face it Fraser, you and the mutt were my entire social life. Well…maybe Sandor counted too, but you know…I’m getting tired of coming home after dealing with scum and having no one to talk but the turtle. Damn turtle ain’t like Dief…doesn’t talk back. I’ve been thinking…maybe if you don’t mind, I could stay…maybe find something else to do for a while. Chicago just ain’t home anymore.”

Stay! Fraser's chest seemed to tighten and breathing was hard. Ray actually wanted to stay. “Ray. Ray! Of course, stay. I’d have asked you earlier, but I was sure Chicago held more appeal for you.” 

Ray watched as Fraser rubbed his eyebrow vigorously. He crawled to the couch from the fireplace and placed his hand on his partner’s thighs. He could feel the muscle, warm under a layer of clothing, twitch under his fingers. “Na, Frase. Only thing appealing to me is you. Been you for a while now. What about you? The idea of me staying here appeal to you?”

Fraser swallowed, tongue coming out to wet his lips as Ray’s fingers traveled up to the back of his neck, nails scraping against the sensitive skin behind his ears. He opened his legs wider, letting Ray shuffle closer and nodded. “Yes, Ray. This…you…appeal. Very much so.” The blinding smile he received was worth the nerves, as was the slow kiss when Ray closed the distance between them. Ray was warm, his stubble made the skin on Fraser’s cheeks tingle, and he shivered as Ray’s teeth nipped as his lips and then soothed the bites with his tongue. 

“Come to bed, Ben. I don’t think I can do what I want to do to you with the wolf watching.”

The walk to the bedroom seemed to take forever, never mind that the cabin was small. Ray pushed Fraser onto the bed, nuzzled his neck as he began to unbutton both their shirts. He drew his nails over Fraser’s chest, scaping against his nipples and he bowed his head to lick the same path his fingers took. 

Fraser hissed as Ray bit down on his collar bone and left sucking kisses all down his chest. Ray’s fingers stopped at Fraser’s pants, then yanked, pulling his pants and his underwear off. 

“Jesus, Fraser…Ben…” Ray might be speechless, but he wasn’t still. He tore off his own shirt and pants and threw himself back onto Fraser. They both moaned at the feeling of naked skin, hands grasping at shoulders as they moved together. 

Ray gasped as he felt Fraser hard beneath him, smearing wetness against his belly. He levered himself off Fraser and kissed his way down his body again, stopping to nip at his hip bones and the trail of dark hair that led down to his straining dick. They both moaned as Ray drew Fraser’s legs over his shoulders and licked a long stripe from the root of his dick to the tip. Ray drew as much of Fraser into his mouth as he could, feeling his jaw ache as he sucked, tongue flicking the ridge under the head. He felt hands caress his head and he arched into it. Ray used his hand to grip and stroke what he couldn’t suck, and Fraser thrust into his mouth. 

“Ray…Ray wait…I want something else.”

Ray looked up at Fraser’s wrecked face, “Anything Frase…anything you want.”

Fraser pulled Ray up and flipped them so he covered his lover’s body with his own. He moved his hands down the lean body below him, not stopping at Ray’s erection, but squeezing his thighs and rubbing his lightly furred calves before pressing against the arches of Ray’s feet. He smiled as Ray bucked slightly and swore. 

“Frase. Please. God. Do something.”

Fraser ran his fingers up the back of Ray’s thighs till he reached the swell of his ass. Still ignoring Ray’s erection, he cupped Ray’s balls and bent to take them into his mouth. When his partner’s moans grew louder, Benton licked and pressed behind Ray’s balls till he circled Ray’s hole with his tongue. Ray almost jerked free from his grip. 

“Fucking fuck, Ben, please.”

Taking pity on him, Fraser reached into the bedside table to pull out a half-used tube of lube and an unopened pack of condoms. He slicked his fingers. Ray whined when Fraser rubbed against his opening and finally slipped the tip of a finger in. Waiting for Ray to relax, he stroked him from the inside, till his finger moved further into the gripping heat. Finally, he bent down into take Ray’s penis into his mouth and sucked in time with the thrusts of his finger. 

“Mm…more, Frase.”

Following Ray’s request, he slid in another finger, then another- crooking them and rubbing until Ray was arching off the bed and almost screaming. Finally, when Ray was sobbing, hands moving between fisting the sheets and Fraser’s hair, he pulled his mouth off Ray to roll on the condom and slick himself up. Holding Ray steady, he pushed forward, groaning as his erection was accepted into Ray’s body. He lowered himself onto his elbows and brushed his tongue against Ray’s as he started to thrust. The sound of their bodies moving together and their moans grew louder as Fraser’s moved faster. 

“Ray…close…”

Ray pulled Fraser closer and deeper into him, and then suddenly grew still before biting down on Fraser’s shoulder and coming. Feeling Ray’s body convulse around him, Fraser’s thrusts became erratic. Moaning, he pushed himself up and looked down at the place they were joined. He watched himself slide into Ray, saw the way Ray’s body gripped him, and came. 

\--

Later, when both humans were asleep- Dief marched into the room. He stared at Fraser and Ray, and walked up to lightly lick Ray’s nose. Scrunching his face in his sleep, Ray moved back from the edge of the bed and further into Fraser’s warmth. Fraser mumbled something about limpets and clung to Ray more tightly than he already had been. Satisfied that his friend was finally done pining (and to think…he’d insisted that Diefenbaker was imagining things!), Dief shook himself and went to hunt for the box of donuts he knew Ray had hidden in the kitchen.


End file.
